Social media, GPs and specialists are some of the noteworthy influencers when it comes to deciding whether to vaccinate against Covid-19.
That’s according to a new study by Wits University, which showed that two out of every five people prefer consulting their GPs to help them make that decision while 20% of the respondents trusted their specialists more.
The study, which surveyed more than 2,300 university students and staff in Johannesburg, found that more than 80% of study participants were willing to vaccinate as long as they could do so at their local pharmacy or doctor’s rooms.
Government mass vaccination sites seemed less popular among those who had made up their minds about taking the jab, with just more than 7% preferring to be inoculated at these sites and only 8% willing to vaccinate at clinics. About 10% preferred hospitals.
Most or 29% of study participants preferred taking their Covid-19 vaccines at pharmacies, followed by 17% who preferred doctor’s rooms or a GP, while only 8% preferred to inoculate at their workplaces.
When it comes to trusted sources of information on Covid-19 vaccination, GPs came out tops, with 40.6% respondents opting for their doctors, followed by 19% who have more confidence in specialists.
While only 12% of study participants trusted the health department as a source of information on vaccines, most (60%) concede they got most information from the department and 56% got information mainly via mainstream media such as radio, television, newspapers. Nearly half (48.4%) relied on social media for information while 26% counted on medical aids.
The most preferred Covid-19 vaccine types were Pfizer with 41% of participants opting for it compared with 23% for the J&J vaccine.
The least preferred ones were Sinovac (0.8%), AstraZeneca (1.9%) and Sputnik (1.8%).
Among those willing to take the vaccines, their main motivation was their personal wellbeing and the health of others.
Side effects and short timelines of the vaccine trials were major concerns.
Writing in the African Journal of Primary Healthcare and Family Medicine, lead researcher Dr Bhadrashil Modi and colleagues said the latest findings are consistent with existing research, the coronavirus rapid mobile survey, which a year ago found that 76% of adults in SA were willing to take the Covid-19 vaccine.
In a global survey of acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine, China had the highest positive responses (86%). Russia had the lowest positive responses (54.9%). SA (81%) fell in the group with a high tendency towards acceptance in middle-income countries, together with Brazil and India.
Modi said the study identified that the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines are significantly associated with the willingness to be vaccinated.
“There is an urgent need to reinforce the communication around the safety of vaccines and effectiveness for the individual and the community, through doctors, media and other approaches to reduce vaccine hesitancy and increase the willingness to be vaccinated.
“The policymakers should consider incorporating the community pharmacies and the GPs in the primary care-led vaccination rollout, in addition to the current large vaccination sites, to achieve herd immunity as soon as possible,” researchers noted.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
